The Untold
by SparkleShortieBaybee
Summary: After defeating Ganondorf, Link returns to Ordon and somewhat misses his old life of being a hero. He then receives a cry of help from the Princess, and has the chance to relive what he missed so much. R&R! Twilight Princess & Wind Waker somewhat!
1. Part I

Part I -

Tears always end something good. Never before in my life did anything ever end as quite good as it did just merely one year ago, until I returned home and discovered that things would be normal again; just as I had wished for them to be out of frustration on my great quest across the lands of Hyrule. I don't wear the clothes colored like the fields of green, the pointy hat that made me distinct from everyone else, and the most worshiped weapon of the land returned to its rightful resting place in the great depths of the woods. I no longer see the great people I saved from the hands of evil, and the person that helped me left so quickly. Saying goodbye to a lifestyle lived so well by someone like me seemed odd; I'd never said goodbye before. I'd returned to herding goats and watching the children of my village grow up – and living alone in such an unfamiliar place.

Sitting atop the ladder of my home which seemed to have become more popular, I held out my hand for birds blue as the waters of Lake Hylia, and feathers soft as the blades of green grass in Hyrule Field. Everything about being home made me miss the places I discovered and saved from the dark evils, never before had I missed something so much. I think I didn't miss the fame, the wonders of being the great hero chosen by the Gods; but I missed the people, my friends.

I looked into the small, black beady eyes of the bird perched on my pointer finger, and whispered, "You don't know what you have, until you lose it, little guy." The bird spread its fragile wings and flew off into the trees above me, leaving me alone to grieve on the past. Sighing, I threw my head into my hands and closed my eyes. The coldness of my hands somewhat calmed me.

I heard defiant footsteps coming up the path that lead to my village, the footsteps growing louder and getting more defiant as they approached me. Did I dare open my eyes? Opening them with caution, I saw Ilia before me, Beth in tow. I rolled my eyes; they often appeared in front of my house at this time of day to bring me fresh biscuits they made with Uli in the afternoon. Uli was teaching them "the skills of women", as Ilia was becoming of the age to offer her hand in marriage; I gulped at the thought.

"Lii—nk," Beth sang, carrying a basket with something wrapped in a velvet napkin tucked neatly inside. Still half-asleep, something small hit my temple, immediately awakening me. An acorn fell next to me, and I fingered it out of boredom and looked at Beth angrily. She stamped her foot, pointed at me, and said,  
>"Link! It is very un-gentlemen-like to not look at people who are talking to you!" She brushed off her dress that Ilia had made for her, curtsied, and picked up the basket gently. She was Ilia's spitting image.<p>

"Sorry, Link, but she's right. You really should be more gentlemen-like because before you know it, you're going to ask for a girl's hand in marriage," Ilia explained. Then she further bored me with, "So anyway, we strolled up here after baking strawberry shortcake with Uli for the day. I love the new crop fields that my father had placed because of Hyrule's state right now. But this came for you, but you were asleep – as usual."

Nothing ever comes for me in the mail after not traveling on Epona as much as when I was the hero, but I hopped down from the ledge and Beth gently gave me the basket. "Be careful!" she scolded me as she handed it to me. I gently took the basket and put it next to me on the ground, making sure it was safe. Inside I suspected pottery possibly from Karkariko Village that the shaman there would like me to have; I always put it in my dark basement – the gifts made me sadder. I looked down at the basket with suspicion – on the corner of the velvet napkin stitched in gold was an _H._ After multiple celebration dinners in Hyrule Castle with Zelda and the members that were left of the Royal Family, I had become custom to recognizing dinner napkins; ones that were similar to the one in the basket. Is there trouble? "Thanks," I said, still shuttering at thought. I looked up, and Beth and Ilia were gone.

Shaking my head, I carefully lifted the basket onto the ledge and then climbed up the ladder myself. Deciding it would be safer to open it inside; I opened the door slowly and slipped inside without a sound. I lit the lantern on the side table on the couch in front of the warm fire cooking Ordon soup, and sat down slowly and placed the basket next to me. I stared at it for a moment in suspicion – there really is no trouble in Hyrule, the dark evils are gone now.

My newest joy trotted up to my feet, begging to be invited onto the couch with me. She had arrived in a basket similar to the one sitting next to me, with a pink bow on her head. She wagged her short tail and we became instant friends; once again, Ilia's perfection at everything, even matching people with puppies. The tag on the basket had already been half chewed by the small, excited creature, but it had read: _Mishka,_ meaning "gift of love" in native Hylian. Mishka and I had grown to become great friends, and soon best friends… we still are.

I scooped up Mishka's brown wiggling body from the floor and she kicked her short, stubby legs. I placed her in my lap and pet her affectionately until she lay her head down and sighed. I never thought that a puppy could be so rambunctious, but Mishka kept me busy between helping out in the village and missing my old lifestyle. I looked at the basket, and found myself beginning to reach for it. As my hand got closer and closer, my heart was beating faster.

Peeling back the first corner of the cloth carefully, the door opened slowly and someone's head poked in. "Hello?" they called. They poked their head in more, and I recognized it to be Ilia. She smiled when she turned and saw me on the couch. She had told me that I had been a great friend to help her save the Zora child, and that she still doesn't remember me in any of the events I recalled of her. However, we had a new relationship, one that was fresh. She politely sat next to me on the couch, and smiled and looked at the basket. She seemed like she wanted to ask me something.

Mishka rushed over to her and followed her and returned to my lap on the couch. Her tail continued to move back and forth, begging for attention from Ilia.

"So, what's in the basket… anything cool?" Ilia asked. She tucked her hands between her legs and smiled softly. "I thought it was from Hyrule… and… I hope you aren't going away again." Hearing her words stung – did she know what was in the basket? Was there really trouble in the kingdom that only her father knew about, which was why Ordon was becoming so independent and on-its-own?

Were the hands of evil back once again?

"I'm sure it's nothing, just something from the Princess or maybe Telma even," I replied. I was now becoming more nervous, because things from Hyrule castle do not tend to come and go as casually as this one. I placed the basket carefully onto the wooden oak table in front of me and smiled at Ilia, trying to hint the subject change. "So, how did the morning go for you?" She smiled; she loved being asked about herself.

"Oh, it went great, thank you for asking," Ilia replied quickly. She looked around the room and smirked. "Link, how could you possibly live in such a place? Look at this…" she rose from her seated position and walked over to my icebox. She picked up an unidentified object on the top of it and said, "How disgusting, you probably don't even know what this is!" I opened my mouth to say something, but she continued. "Malo and Talo aren't even as messy as you, and they are children." She paused and examined the item for a minute more and then threw it into the rubbish bin.

She walked over to the door and took my sheepskin hat that she had crafted for me from the coat hanger next to the door. She put it on her head and adjusted it to cover her eyes, making her appear mysterious. I smiled – if only she had remembered her childhood, the laughs that we had shared. Thankfully, she did not remember being kidnapped by King Bulbin as well as the horrors of her experience as a lonely soul in the Twilight zone.

"Link…" she said, opening the door and facing away from me. I saw the profile view of her pointed nose, and rose-pink lips. The hat cast a dark shadow over her eyes, just like the one I had seen before in her moments of anger. "Come to the pig roast tonight, okay?" She smirked and shut the door softly behind her.

. . .

I sat, lonely and curious, in my home staring into the soft fibers of the velvet napkin. Should I open it? What is inside? I wondered aimlessly for minutes, to hours, to what seemed like forever. Finally, I reached out to touch its soft material and peeled it back farther, revealing another layer wrapped around something tightly.

Carefully lifting the basket into my lap next to a sleeping Mishka, it seemed heavier than it had been when I placed it on the table. I continued uncovering the secret item inside of the basket, and lifted the item out of the basket and placed it beside me on the couch. I unwrapped it slowly – revealing something I had never seen before outside of its resting place inside of the fancy cabinets in the dining hall of Hyrule Castle. In my hands was not something that seemed like it had been untouched for all its years, a vase inscribed with native Hylian that not even me nor could Zelda understand. The vase was read and the inscriptions where golden. Nothing else was painted on the vase; not even the initials of its creator.

I began to start solving the mystery that this vase held. It seemed to have been familiar, something that had belonged to my family: the Royal Family. I felt as if I had seen this vase before outside of its case. I sprang up from my spot on the couch, Mishka following, to my filled bookshelf. Books that had been collected from the secret-holding lands of Hyrule on my quest, books that had been given to me from Russel about swordplay, and books from my missing mother: all books that maybe held the secret to this vase. I slid my fingers over the old bindings, and finally stopped at one with the same writings as the vase. I snatched it from the seemingly endless bookshelf and flipped through the pages as I plopped down on the couch once again.

In the middle of the book, bookmarked with a red ribbon that seemed ages old, was the vase's very picture drawn like a masterpiece. I held the vase in my sweaty, shaking hands. I read the English text on the page, explaining the vase. "_…passed down from the Royal Family…", "…never before been touched in Hyrule's history…", "…used as a method of secret communication between the Princess and an outsider…"_ My heart pounded as my eyes fluttered from word to word on the page. The final statement on the page made my heart drop to my stomach: _"The communication usually is a hint that Hyrule is in grave danger." _I gulped down my fear, dropping the vase onto the floor. The shattering of the glass shattered my pride and I dared to look down at the kind of warning written on the parchment.

My eyes slowly crept down to the parchment, and I reached through the shattered glass and unearthed it, leaving my Royal blood behind. I read the paper slowly, and I recognized the handwriting of the Princess Zelda, now residing in the castle. My blood soaked the paper, and I could not believe what I was reading. "This could not be happening again…" I said, dropping the paper on the ground. I rushed from my position on the couch and quickly departed for the spring.

. . .

_My dearest Link: The bad things are happening again. The dawn of ages is upon us; Hyrule will fall. Nothing can stop the evil that is creeping upon us. The darkness is sweeping the land, and soon we will all be in the greedy hands of the unspoken one. You are the great Hero – I am just a Princess. What would you do?_

_Zelda_

. . .

Still stunned, I rushed to the spring, running faster and faster. I quickly passed Beth and Ilia, who were collecting the basil leaves that grew near here for the pig roast tonight most likely. "Link, I…" Beth began, but I was already too far away to hear the rest of her small voice.

I reached the spring's soft, inviting shores and fell into the blue waters. Before me, the light of the spirit was emitting, but I could already feel myself leaving this world. "What would you do?" she asks again as I drift away. What had happened just moments before had stunned me; my lungs longed for air as I watched the great spirit of Ordon Province appear before me. The goat figure appeared finally, emitting bright light, and looked down on me with sorrow in his eyes. I lost my faith and dropped to the ground, catching myself with my hands. The water of the spring suddenly turned cold, and it bit against my shaking arms. "Do not fear, O Chosen One…" the spirit began. His whispers where soft and comforting; I stood up once again and acknowledged the spirit.

"The darkness has yet to come… There is still time…" the spirit whispered quietly. "Seek Hyrule Castle… There you will find your next quest…"


	2. Part II

Part II -

I found myself again sitting in the same place that I had been when Ilia and Beth arrived with my new fate. Birds hopped around me, searching for the remainder of the seeds I had scattered to make myself feel less alone. The presence of other animals made me feel comforted, although I could no longer be among them; my most vital tool on my quest had been taken back to the Twilight world.

Over the ranch, the sun was setting behind the tall, unexplored mountains. Soon I would have to walk to the village to go to the roasting of the great pig that was hunted in Faron Woods; and announce my departure on my newest quest. I never did think much of the evils returning to Hyrule, but they had. The birds fluttered away as the sun continued to cast longer and longer shadows. I stood and looked into the baby-blue sky, and wondered if _she_ was looking into the skies of her world she always thought where beautiful. I remembered her twisted humor, defiance, and I would always thank her silently at the conclusion of each day for saving Hyrule with me. I had pride in admitting I didn't do it all – _she _was the true mastermind. Zelda had given her life once again after it had been stolen from her, and I had given her the chance to see the good side of our world. I looked down, and I would not let myself cry. I missed her so much; I remembered her so well in the final moments I spent with her:

"_Well I guess this is farewell…Huh?" she had said. "Light and shadow can't mix, as we all know. But…" Zelda and I had found ourselves in a place where the gods resided, and the key to a very special place. The wind softly blew against us, through the ancient columns of the Mirror Chamber. "Never forget there is a world bound to this one."_

_Zelda smiled with a sad look on her face. She had said, "Shadow and light are two sides of the same coin…" She had swallowed her sadness and continued with, "One cannot exist without the other." We all let the truth sting us – because we had yet to realize that when fighting it. "I know now the reason the goddesses left the Mirror of Twilight in this world… They left it because it was their design we should meet. Yes… that is what I believe."_

_She had looked up from the same place she had been studying when listening to Zelda's true words. She then had said, "Zelda, your words are kind, and your heart is true. If all in Hyrule were like you, then maybe you'll do alright. As you walked to the pedestal I had once stood on as well, the wind lifted our hair and hearts to you. The stairs appeared as you stood as scared as I had, and you said, "Thank you…" I smiled, and then it faded away as I feared what would happen next. "Well, the princess spoke truly: as long as that mirror's around, we could meet again…"_

_I saw light emit from the tear that you cried. My heart sunk as I began to realize what would happen next, the thing that I had feared the most: letting go. "Link…" you had continued with. "I…" You pushed the small speck of light towards the mirror. The smaller specks left behind in its trail made it look so innocent, yet it was so deceiving. "See you later…" I watched her let herself do that to the connected between her world and ours, destroying Hyrule's most vital connection. I felt my heart stop beating, my lungs stop breathing. Zelda and I watched the small light and the mirror meet, forever damaging the mirror. The mirror was now destroyed; cracked; forever broken. I listened to the cracks travel to the golden edges, and I felt my entire body turn cold. Zelda gasped and both of our heads quickly turned to her in shock. _

_You ran away from us to the top of the steps, like you didn't want to be seen, and then turned to us; smiling softly, tilting your head in sympathy. You looked like you had wanted to say something, but could not find the words to say it. You looked into my eyes and smiled as the light took your body into your world, your home – and I watched in horror, speechless. A single tear, just like the one that you had cried, rolled down my cheek, and the mirror shattered. Its shards scattered and sparkled to the ground… and you were gone. _

I looked down and watched a single tear fall to the ground that seemed so far away, and blinked the remaining away. I looked up into the sky and felt that, she too, was watching over me. I never thought that our journey together could end – but it did, just as quickly as it had started.

Suddenly, the skies turned to darkness and I found the stars above me sparkling just as her tear did. In the Twilight world, the stars sparkled the same way as they did here, only they were much prettier there. I brushed my hair to the side, and looked to the back of my hand. On the back of my hand reminded me, however, where I really belonged, who I really was. I whipped my hand back to my side and turned and marched inside of my house.

Mishka was there to greet me, and I reached down and pet her for a brief moment. She followed me through my house, up the doggie ladders installed for her, to the top floor with the great window with a view of the stars. I sat on my handcrafted chair and rested my head in my hands on the windowsill. Was she looking into the stars as well, thinking the same inane thoughts as me?

Where we destined to meet again?

Zelda had pleaded for my help, claiming that darkness was returning. Was she seeking revenge on our world, or was she, the Twilight Princess, trying to save us? She had said it herself; her people had been corrupted by Zant, the self-proclaimed king of the Twilight world. I feared for the worst, which the unspoken evils of his God had returned, although he had been slain by the blade of evil's bane: The Master Sword. That blade now resided in the deep, sacred sections of the Faron Woods that where inaccessible without a specific tool. I had only dreamed of pulling it from the pedestal once again.

The Royal Family had always said, "But then, when all hope had died, and the hour of doom seemed at hand… a young boy clothed in green appeared as if from nowhere. Wielding the Blade of Evil's bane, he sealed the dark one and gave the land light."* Was that me, being called upon again by the Gods?

. . .

The air smelled like fresh picked strawberries, and the village seemed calm as I attempted to sneak into the small crowd of village folk. Colin seemed to be the first to bounce over to me and pick up Mishka proudly; he seemed to have developed showing his strengths to me to prove he was working on being my spitting image. "Hey, Link," he had said softly. His blonde hair just brushed over his eyes, and he had grown much taller. He really was starting to look like me, and wear the same clothing that I had worn when I was at his age of pre-teen hood. He smiled a toothy smile and said, "So, when do you think the old man will teach me swordplay like he did you?" He chuckled softly to himself. He plopped Mishka on the ground, and showed me his signature: a thumbs-up sign. He disappeared then, as if busier somewhere else.

I weaved through the crowd, trying to find my rightful place at the table: next to Ilia, Mishka's very own chair at my other side. I surfaced the area of the table, and waved to everyone and attempted to sit down, unnoticed. "Link!" Rusl called from the end of the table next to Uli and their newborn child. "Come; sit next to me for tonight. Today is a very special day." He grabbed my wrist and dragged me over, plopping me in the chair; I chuckled softly, sensing that something was going to make knots in my schedule of departure for Hyrule in a few days.

I sat down in the great chair taken from the shop, probably. I smiled softly, looking at the small crowd around me and felt good to be there for a few moments until my thoughts returned to my new mission: saving Hyrule, _again._ I worried that I would disappoint the ones who looked up to me, and the ones who cared about me. All of the village children – Colin, Ilia, Beth, Malo, and Talo – all stared into my deep, blue eyes sensing something wasn't right just as it was the day that I left Ordon and didn't return. Would I return from this quest, or die trying hard?

"Link, are you even listening?" Ilia nudged her elbow into my ribs. I broke from my daydreaming and looked at Rusl, preaching at the head of the table. I looked at Uli, his wife: she nodded and smiled, then returned her gaze to her husband. Each person at the table was looking at me, and thinking of how fantastic I must feel. However, inside, I was dying.

"…Today is a special day, well… I can't give it _all_ away," Rusl said, laughing. The crowd joined him in a small chuckle and then he continued. "Link has come this car in his adventures, and he is finally home and can lead a normal life as "the guy from Ordon" versus "the great hero", whichever he prefers." He paused, and sighed. "I… have watched Link grow up from the mischievous kid to the great, respected hero he is. The kids look up to him, and the girls think he's handsome and attractive. However, his life is about to change… Mayor Bo can continue, if he would like…" He looked to Mayor Bo for assistance, and I continued to wonder what they were going to tell me; it could be anything, knowing my past adventures with getting "big" news.

"My daughter is a special person to me, she is very dear. And watching Link grow up, he had grown on me to be one of those people that is impossible to replace. When you left, we were all disappointed, Link. We are so happy to have you back… all of us. Including Ilia," he said, looking to her. Ilia's hand rushed to her chest and she blushed. Did she know? Bo nodded and smiled, then continued:

"Link, you are a man now. You have protected Ilia with all your life, even helped restore part of her memory during your busy quest. And…" Mayor Bo looked down and folded his hands together, and cracked two of his knuckles. The cracks where as loud as bones breaking, heads smashing together. I feared what he would say, but I knew it would come sooner or later; even in my childhood I knew it. "…as her father… I am offering Ilia's hand in marriage to you, Link." Ilia blushed, and the kids sitting on the other end of the table giggled and then chorused with, "_Awww."_ I felt as if my world was spinning out of control – I was not ready to get married, I was actually getting ready to _leave _Ordon again! I looked to Ilia, my face probably looking priceless.

I smiled, however. I didn't know why I smiled – but I was realizing that I needed to take her hand in marriage; it was what the Gods had destined for me. I looked at everyone, smiled, and then realized how much I _did _love her. I took both of her soft hands and turned to her and said, "Dear Ilia… sweet Ilia… I have known you since we were young. I rescued you out of desperation to keep you mine and for you to be my love… and I will ask the beautiful young woman before me…" I gulped down my fear and said, "Will you marry me?"

Each word I gracefully spoke to her blushing and smiling face, came right from my heart; the words that had been locked away for so many years and that I had yet to realize where true. I smiled and hoped for the answer that I and everyone was looking for – until she hugged me, and whispered softly into my ear, "I will."


	3. Part III

Part III -

I sat up straight in my bed that was warm from me and Ilia sleeping closely together, although it was a humid summer night in the village. I did not know what I was awoken from – but I found myself going down to the first floor and scooped up Mishka. I then walked over to the entrance to my basement, lit the lantern, and climbed down slowly; Mishka and lantern in tow. I didn't know what exactly was attracting me, but I did know that I couldn't ignore it.

The cold stone floor biting at my bare feet, I walked across the basement, barely lit by my lantern and was confronted with my most cherished memory: my green tunic, the color of the fields in Hyrule and the pointy hat. In the chest next to that where my other two tunics, and I placed Mishka on the floor and she rushed to sniff away the last of its very precious scents. I reached out slowly, almost mechanically; too touch its soft fabrics that had always been strong during my adventure. The Triforce on the back of my hand glowed, lighting the entire room. What where to happen if I touched it, would I become cursed again? Would Midna appear again? Would Zelda appear, scolding me for touching one of the land's most treasured items?

"What are you doing, Link?" she asked, pulling my arm away. The Triforce returned to its faded yellow color on my skin. I shrugged, and then looked at my skin again. The Triforce power was drained from me again, and I looked to Ilia. She was looking for an answer; an answer I didn't have. "Just what exactly do you think you're doing… you heard what Princess Zelda said when you returned."

Actually, I didn't. I was simply barricaded from my new friend by the villagers pleased to see me back, the only two who were able to talk to her where Rusl and Ilia – mouths watering to hear the gossip of my quest that had taken so long. I watched Princess Zelda tell them, wearing the same cloak I had first saw her in, remaining hidden still from the world to protect herself from the evils that still lurked. She waved her arms around, trying to explain my perilous adventure and the highlights of my time with someone from the Twilight that had swept the land. But I did know what I was intending to do – leave. Finally I answered, "I don't know…"

"Well if you'd been listening, if you were to touch those clothes before the time of need, you would be cursed again," Ilia explained. "And… I don't think anyone of us would like it if you went away again…" she said, looking down at the ground. I wrapped her in my arms, and told yet again another lie:

"I won't leave you again, I promise."

. . .

For the morning of that bright sunny day, I did not know where to turn exactly for the assistance I needed. Should I really leave, should I break the promise I made? I know that Ordon needs me now because I am a man, but I am also a man that serves his kingdom as well. Which comes first – Ilia, and the village, or Princess Zelda and all of Hyrule? I sat for hours as Talo whacked his wooden sword that Rusl had crafted for him as a birthday gift. I kept repeating, "That's good, Talo" each time he asked for praise. Meanwhile, I was too deep in thought to even notice Ilia and Beth where baking in my humble kitchen for the afternoon, although they claimed they told me when they arrived in front of me to deliver one.

"Link, is something wrong?" Beth asked, sticking her face under my pouty one resting in my hands. Ilia had a look of jealousy on her face; Beth had always looked up to me and found me attractive – but Ilia was my wife now, and Beth was far too immature and young for someone like me. "You're always so pouty!" she said after I assured her nothing was wrong… even though there was nothing right. Ilia dragged her away and smiled shyly at me from behind as I waved and smiled.

I stood from my rock as soon as they went back into the kitchen, and Talo stopped whacking the scarecrow and looked at me. "Hey!" he stamped his small bare-foot on the ground. "You're supposed to be teaching me! Don't tell me you're going to get my younger brother, Malo!"

"No, I'm not, don't worry," I said, calming him down. He relaxed, and the sword dropped to his side. "Hey… I'm going to the village to do some errands, okay? I'll be back soon, just keep practicing!" I gave him the thumbs up, something that I had copied from Colin, and started down the hilly path toward the village.

The village was full of life, in preparations for the visit that Renado and the folk from Kakario Village's new houses where going to pay tomorrow afternoon. Everyone said hi to me, and waved to me and I smile back as if nothing is wrong to not hint their disappointment they are soon going to have in me. I begin walking faster, until someone stops me: Mayor Bo. He exactly isn't my public enemy number one, but he isn't my favorite person to talk to now that Ilia and I are engaged. He is probably going to ask about private aspects of our relationship, or try to pry some juicy gossip from me about our relationship or maybe something he doesn't know about his own daughter, for the sake of the Gods!

"Link," he whispered, not as harshly as I thought he would have if he confronted me like this before. "Please come into my house… there is something _very _important that we need to talk about. It's about…" he leaned in closer, and then I predicted the words that he would say next… "_Hyrule"._ He pulled my wrist and we quickly walked to his house and shut the door – locking it behind us.

"Listen, Link," Mayor Bo said. "I know that you have been called upon again to be the great hero of our kingdom. Princess Zelda sent a hidden message in the same type of vase that you received – one that is a signal of desperation for help." He poured me tea as I sat down on the fluffy, expensive couch that was a gift from the Royal Family – my family. His hands shook as he poured the tea; almost missing the cup. He didn't even attempt at pouring any for himself, and simply kept spitting things I already know at me. "Hyrule is in danger again, and you must leave immediately, regardless of Ilia and whatever other priorities you may have. Hyrule needs you, Link." Mayor Bo slid a map across the table. "This map is from your ancestors, specifically one that resided on Outset Island, if you have ever heard of that place." He paused and forced the map into my hands, one that had been colored on by some little kid it looked like. "His name too, was Link. He also was the great hero of Hyrule… when Ganon had hidden it beneath the ocean. Your quest is to once again save us… back in time." I sat up the tea I was drinking and began to choke. _Back in time?_

"You must think that this is a joke, because you can't go back in time," I told him, recollecting myself. "And I had ancestors that lived on islands, and stuff? And our world was underwater at once? And the islands where our mountains? So that means… and that means…" Mayor Bo placed his cold hands on my cheeks to calm me down, something that had always worked when I was younger.

He took his hands away. "It is possible. There is an item called the Time Necklace… Princess Zelda will give it to you. This is why you must depart immediately, because if you can stop the evil forces in the past, then we can continue to rebuild Hyrule from Ganon's destruction. Please leave as soon as possible, Link… Hyrule needs you," Mayor Bo said, begging me. I sighed… going to a different time, spending time how I now seek it, saving Hyrule? Although it did appeal to me, I had other priorities – such as Ilia, and the village. But Hyrule is at stake right now, and Ganon cannot possibly return when we are in the state of rebuilding from his disaster.

I stood defiantly, and said, "Mayor Bo, thank you… for changing me. I will depart as soon as possible… and I hope to see you soon. I will say goodbye… to everyone… later." I salute him and then slowly leave his house, gently shutting the door behind me.

. . .

Her father had broken the news to Ilia. Ilia was upset, but she had helped me pack my things and wished me the best of luck. She said that she would be in contact with Zelda to make sure that I had a proper goodbye ceremony in Castle Town, because she said that if I were going to a different world for a period of time, I might as well be last seen by the ones that love me… including her. To be honest, I was heartbroken as well – newly engaged, yet newly torn apart quickly.

I packed my things, but Zelda had assured me that in the time process that I would not be able to bring my items, just my tunic and sword. She also informed me that Epona would have to stay here, and that I would receive another form of transportation as soon as I arrived in a long, informative letter she sent me, but Mayor Bo hid from me until that conversation earlier in the day.

As I mounted Epona to make the great journey to Hyrule Castle, across the great Hyrule Field, I turned to see everyone that believed in me, to save our kingdom again, and to keep us and our children safe. Would the next generation be looking up to the boy who saved Hyrule _twice,_ in two different times? Would the next generation even be alive by the time I return? Will I be successful on the quest I have now been required to achieve? But when I did turn to see the village folk who believed in me, I felt that hope was the only thing that I had, and that I would not see them for a long time. Colin rushed to me and took my hand. He had said, "Go, now. Because I want you to go and when you come back, I will be the next hero!" He had said this, unaware that I may never return. Ilia took both of my hands after he did, with tears in her eyes and said, "Link… please come back… I don't want to ever lose you." She smiled and Colin lifted her from the ground, to hug me tightly and said that she would see me in a few days at my departure ceremony in Castle Town. I smiled and kissed her… for the very first, last time.


End file.
